Hilton's Middle East growth underscored by 81 signed deals

Hilton has set plans to triple its footprint across the Middle East to include more than 120 hotels in the next few years.

The hotel group has signed 81 hotels with local partners and investors with a majority of these scheduled to open by 2023, expanding its portfolio of 41 hotels currently operating in the Middle East. New Hilton hotels will open in several countries in the region, including Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait. The group will also develop new hotels in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, two of Hilton’s key focus areas for development. “One in five hotels currently under construction in the region carries a Hilton brand, which is testament to the relationships we have built with owners and investors in the region. Around 65 percent of the hotels in our pipeline are being developed together with existing Hilton owners which emphasizes the superior returns we generate,” Carlos Khneisser, VP, development, Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, Hilton, said in a statement.

Hilton plans to bring its upscale brands to the UAE as part of its expansion strategy. Hilton Dubai Palm and Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island will add more than 1,200 guestrooms to the region. Meanwhile, the Hampton by Hilton Dubai Airport is slated to open later this year, expanding the group’s presence in the UAE’s economy hotel sector.

Hilton will boost its portfolio in Saudi Arabia from 10 to 40 hotels during the next five years. The first property in the pipeline set to open this year is the Hilton Riyadh. Another set of four recently signed hotels in the country are slated to open under management agreements by 2021. Hilton signed two of these hotels—the 150-room DoubleTree by Hilton Jubail Dareen Corniche and the 200-room Hilton Garden Inn Al Jubail Fanateer Corniche—with Pan Kingdom Real Estate. Meanwhile, the group signed the 200-room Hampton by Hilton Al Khobar King Fahd Causeway with Sultan Bin Abdelaziz Bin Abdullah Al Mousa and the 170-room Hampton by Hilton King Abdullah Economic City with Al Ahlam Hotel and Resort National.